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Thomas the MVP for tourney champ Glenbard West

Glenbard West was on the cusp of winning the Riverside-Brookfield holiday tournament Saturday afternoon, but standing in its way was a very familiar foe.

The Hilltoppers and York both occupy a significant share of the top of the West Suburban Silver girls basketball standings, with identical 4-1 records. The first time they met this season, on Dec. 9 in conference play, Glenbard West won a 1-point thriller.

On Saturday it was a different story.

The Hilltoppers claimed the title 35-18 behind a game-high 16 points from tournament most valuable player Jamiyah Thomas, and 9 points and 14 rebounds from sophomore forward Taylor Huff.

But to hear the Hilltoppers tell it, winning was more important than the opponent.

"It's just another game," said Thomas, a junior. "Staying together is just key. Nobody can stop us when we're together and it's like everyone picks each other up during the game and it's nice to have that."

Those sentiments were echoed by Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner, whose squad improved to 13-3.

"I think anytime you get a win, you enjoy it, appreciate it, and for all the teams in the tournament to play five games in a row, you're a little bit tired by the fifth game," Faulkner said. "So I thought our team played with good energy and defensive intensity."

And how. The Hilltoppers used in-your-face man defense to help limit the Dukes (11-3) to just 13 percent shooting from the field and only 6 field goals. Senior guards Danielle Dennis and Caylin Rufus led York with 8 points each, but those totals were well under their season averages of 15 and 12 points a game, respectively.

Glenbard West used a 9-0 run that ended with 5:43 left in the first quarter, and then after a Rufus layup with 7:34 left in the third quarter, the Hilltoppers put together an 8-0 spurt. That was highlighted by three buckets from Thomas, including a snazzy baseline-drive layup at 3:19.

A 6-0 run early in the fourth quarter, along with 5 defensive rebounds from Huff, put the game away. All told, 5 of her 14 boards were on the offensive end.

"I think my main objective going into this game was to get as many offensive and defensive rebounds as possible," Huff said. "At the very beginning of the game, my shots weren't falling, so I was like, how can I contribute to the game? Rebounding was one of the ways I could help."

Across the floor there was no way to escape the fact that it was a tough afternoon for the Dukes and coach Brandon Collings. But there were bright spots, including nearly outrebounding the Hilltoppers, falling just short at 28-27, and forcing 12 Glenbard West turnovers. Plus, Dennis, who had 8 rebounds, and Rufus, who had 6, both were named to the all-tournament team.

"We did what we wanted to do defensively," Collings said. "We got some turnovers, but when we got them, we weren't able to convert them. We had to have missed eight, 10 decent shots around the basket."

Junior forward Lilly Soane and senior guard Cameron Kruse were also all-tournament team members for the Hilltoppers.

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